Door-operating device for hopper-cars.



PATENTED-MAY 12, 19-03,.

A. OHRISTIANSON.

DOOR OPERATING DEVICE FOR HOPPER CARS.

APPLTUATION FILED SEPT. 12. 1902.

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No. 727,587. PATBNTED MAY 12, 1903.

A. OHRISTIANSON. DOQR OPERATING DEVICE FOR HOPPER CARS.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 12. 1902. N0 MODEL 4'SHEBTS-SHEBT 2 PATENTBD MAY 12, 1903.

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A. OHRISTIANSON. DOOR OPERATING DEVICE FOR HOPPER OARS.

APILIOATION FILED SEPT. 12, 1902.

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PATENTED MAY 12, 1903.

No. 727,587. A. OHRISTIANSON.

DOOR OPERATING DEVICE FOR HOPPER CARS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12, 1902.

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NITE STATES Patented May 12, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREIV OHRISTIANSON, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD STEEL CAR COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

DOOR-OPERATING DEVICE FOR HOPPER-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 727,587, dated May 12, 1903.

Application filed September 12,1902. Serial No. 123,071. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW CHRISTIANSON, a resident of Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Door-Operating Devices for Hopper-Oars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to mechanism for opcrating the doors of hopper-cars, and more especially to mechanism for operating two oppositely-arranged inclined doors.

The object of my invention is to provide mechanism for this purpose which is light, [5 simple, and strong, which requires a minimum number of parts and a minimum number of attaching elements, which offers less frictional resistance to operation than any similar devices heretofore used, and which possesses an additional safety feature over similar devices heretofore used.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a portion of the body of a hopper-car with the upper part of the crossridge removed. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken through the hoppers between the side plates and center sills, showing the doors closed. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the doors openand Fig. 4 is a crosssection through the body of the car, taken through one of the hoppers.

My invention is shown applied to a hoppercar provided with two pairs of oppositely-arranged doors, said doors extending transversely of the car and one of each pair being located on each side of the center sills. The center sills are shown at 1 as channelbeams placed with their flanges projecting inwardly. The outside hopper-sheet is shown at 2 and'is strengthened by means of the angle-rail 3. The cross hood or ridge is shown at 4, the inside hopper-plates at 5, the longitudinal ridge at 6, the inclined hopper-floor at 7, the inclined hopper-doors at 8, said doors being hinged to the lugs 9, secured to the lower edges of the cross-ridge sheets, and said cross-ridge being stiffened by the longitudinally-arranged bar 10.

All of the parts so far described are old in hopper-cars and form no part of the prestached to the center sills. links are so proportioned that when the joint ent invention, and they have been selected for illustration merely. They may be varied as necessary or desired.

The doors 9 are connected in pairs, as is the common practice, one on either side of the center sills. As shown in the drawings, the doors of each pair are connected by means of a channel-shaped beam or girder 12, made, preferably,-of pressed steel. These beams may be of uniform or varying cross-section,

as desired, and they are rigidly connected near their ends to suitable brackets 13, attached to the hopper-doors near the center of the lower edges of the latter. Secured to the center of each of these beams is a hinge-lug 14, which is secured thereto, preferably by means of bolts, so that shims or liners can be conveniently inserted between the adjacent vertical surfaces of these members. Pivoted to each hinge-lug 14: is an arm 15, the opposite ends of said arms being hinged about a common axis 16. A link 17 connects the pivotal point 16 of the arms 15 with the outer or jaw end of an arm or crank 18, secured to a shaft 19. The latter extends through the center'sills and out to one side of the car, being mounted in suitable bearings secured to the center sills and to one of the outside hopper-sheets. It is squared at its outer end to receive a wrench or crank for operating the same, and any suitable means-such, for instance, as a ratchet and pawl 20-is provided for holding said shaft in any position to which it may be turned.

In order to guide the joint 16 of the arms 15, Ipivot to said joint a pair of links 21, the upper ends of which are slotted and slide uponpivots 22, supported by brackets 23, at-

The slots in these 16 passes between the pivots 22 the latter lie very near the inner ends of the slots, sothat the position of the joint 16 is quite definitely determined when it is in the horizontal plane of the pivots 22.

The operation of the device is as follows: By rotating the shaft 19 the outer end of the arm 18 moves in the arc of a circle, as indicated by the curved line in Figs. 2 and 3, and carries with it the link 17, which in turn moves the joint 16 in a somewhat indeterminate path, except that one point in this path is practically determined by the links 21 and is practically midway between the pivots 22. The ratchet and pawl 20 secure the shaft 19 so as to hold the doors either in their open or closed position.

The door-operating mechanism is positive in its action and is as well suited to close the doors positively as to open them. In devices heretofore used for operating similarly-disposed doors on hopper-cars rigid and comparatively heavy guides have been required for the knuckle joint or pivot corresponding to that indicated by 16. Moreover, there has been no safety device in such mechanism to support the joint 16 in case of a failure of the link 17 or arm 18 except the abutting surfaces on the ends of the arms 15. In my mechanism it is evident that the links 21 act as safety-hangers in case of a failure of the link 17 or arm 18, and said links 21 will support the arms 15 and hold the doors closed in case of breakage of the other parts.

The device as a Whole is light, simple, and strong. It is composed of the minimum number of parts compatible with cheapness of maintenance and requires a minimum number of attaching elements, such as bolts and rivets. Furthermore, it possesses an additional safety feature over prior devices for this purpose, and it offers less frictional resistance to operation than such prior devices.

While I have shown my door-operatingdevice applied to doors arranged transversely of the car and to such doors connected in pairs, it is to be understood that it is not limited in either of these particulars, as it is equally as well adapted for operating two oppositely-arranged single doors, whether arranged transversely of the car or longitudinally thereof.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a hopper-bottom car, the combination of oppositely-arrangedswinging doors, arms pivotally connected to each other and to the opposite doors, slotted guide-links mounted upon the pivot connecting the arms and also upon guiding-pivots fixed to the car-body, whereby the motion of the knuckle-jointis restricted, and means for raising and lowering said knuckle-joint.

2. In a hopper-bottom car, the combination of oppositely-arranged swinging doors, arms hinged to each other and to said doors, guidelinks attached to the pivot connecting said arms and provided at their opposite ends with slots arranged to slide upon pivots fixed to the car-body, a shaft, a crank on said shaft, and a link connecting said crank and the pivotal point of said arms.

3. In a hopper-bottom car, the combination with oppositely-arranged swinging doors, of arms hinged to each other and to said doors, slotted guide-links attached to the pivot of said arms and to pivots fixed to the car-body, a shaft, a crank on said shaft, a link connecting said crank and the pivotal point of said arms, and means for securing the shaft so as to hold the doors open or closed.

In testimony whereof I, the said ANDREW OHRISTIANSON, have hereunto set my hand.

ANDREW OHRISTIANSON.

Witnesses:

WM. BIERMAN, ROBERT C. ToTTEN. 

